Faculty spotlight: Arvind Sangwaiya
Background and training: from Delhi to London
Dr. Arvind Sangwaiya was born in India and completed his MBBS at Maulana Azad Medical College, University of Delhi, in 2001. Early in his training, his rotations through several specialties including general surgery, cardiology, pulmonary medicine, and infectious disease helped him to choose to pursue gastroenterology.
“I was fascinated and drawn to procedural specialties,” he said. “GI had a good mix of procedural complexity and cognitive engagement. That combination was attractive.”
He moved to London and completed his internal medicine residency at Ealing Hospital, University of London, obtaining Membership of the Royal College of Physicians (MRCP) in 2009. It was at Ealing that he met Dr. Jayantha Arnold, a consultant gastroenterologist, educator, and researcher who became a close and trusted mentor. “He is an extraordinary example of what a physician-teacher looks like,” Sangwaiya said. “He was instrumental in mentoring me all along.”
Under Dr. Arnold’s guidance, Sangwaiya developed an early and enduring interest in iron metabolism and liver physiology, co-authoring his earliest clinical and translational research on hepcidin and iron metabolism.
He went on to complete gastroenterology fellowship through the London Deanery and an advanced therapeutic endoscopy fellowship at Hammersmith Hospital, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust from 2014–2015. During this time, he also completed a brief residency rotation at Boston University Medical Center, which served as his first experience with the US healthcare system and a precursor to his career in Seattle.
Sangwaiya obtained his Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT) in Gastroenterology and Internal Medicine in 2015 and was named a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians (FRCP) in 2020 and a Fellow of the European Section and Board of Gastroenterology and Hepatology (FESBGH) in 2021. He is also Joint Advisory Group on GI Endoscopy (JAG) accredited and a longstanding member of the British Society of Gastroenterology.
A Decade in the NHS
For eight years, Sangwaiya worked as a consultant gastroenterologist in the NHS, first at West Middlesex University Hospital and Chelsea and Westminster, and then at London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust, where he served successively as Chief of Endoscopy and Endoscopy Training Head at Ealing Hospital.
He was also a core member of the Upper GI Tumor Board and, from 2020, on the hospital’s COVID-19 Response Team. For his work leading the COVID response efforts, he was nominated for A Queen’s Honour- a prestigious national and international honor roll by the hospital.
Increasing endoscopy access
Sangwaiya came to the University of Washington in 2023 to serve as GI section chief for Eastside Specialty Center.
As section chief, one of his highest priorities is increasing access to endoscopy. The endoscopy service has already expanded to five full clinic days since his joining, and a pilot program is currently underway to further remove barriers to care.
Sangwaiya is also dedicated to expanding endoscopy education. He runs a Training the Colonoscopy Trainer (TCT) program in clinic and in one-to-one sessions and gives guest lectures on TCT around the country.
“Teaching endoscopy, like any procedural skill, is transferable if done in a systematic way,” he explained. “The next generation of endoscopists should have the advantage of a head start, they should not have to learn everything by mistake.”
His current research includes development of a physician framework and decision tool for endoscopy use in vulnerable populations, which builds upon prior work streamlining referrals and improving access to endoscopy services.
Cross-cultural perspective
Sangwaiya has always been an enthusiastic advocate for patients from underserved communities. At Ealing Hospital, he made regular representations in clinical and policy forums on behalf of vulnerable populations, working to highlight their needs and to resist the withdrawal of services from those who needed them most.
“With Dr. Arnold’s support, I was able to focus on this work — providing services to communities that often get left behind, and making sure their voices were heard in rooms where decisions were being made,” he said.
“I want patients from every background to have access to high-quality endoscopy and clinical care, and to feel genuinely heard and understood when they come into our clinics.”
Having trained and practiced across India, the United States, and the United Kingdom, Sangwaiya brings a distinctly international lens to this work and clinic in the Pacific Northwest.
“I value the diverse community of the PNW and prioritize culturally responsive care in my practice. Having trained across three different healthcare systems, I hope to bring a perspective that helps us keep asking thoughtful questions about how we organize and improve the care we deliver,” he said.
“The most rewarding part of this work is being able to help our patients and to participate in teaching the next generation of physicians. If I can do both well, that is enough.”
Outside of work
Outside of clinic, Sangwaiya has recently taken up studying ancient literature. He has begun working through the Upanishads and Vedic texts, some written thousands of years ago, with the same careful attention he brings to the endoscopy suite.
“I am trying to tap into ancient wisdom and understand its relevance in modern day,” he said.